What Enrique hated more than anything else was having a private moment in public: having this moment in front of hundreds of people who didn’t fcking matter to him. While some of his fellow peers were far too enamored by the idiotic post Blue Royalty had sent, others were, indeed, far more interested in the conversation he was having with Annie which was clear by the stares boring into the back of his head as he was having this private moment with Annie, or something that should have been private.
Though, all Ricky knew at the moment was that he wasn’t letting her leave without him. He knew this move - he had fcking pulled this move on people he cared about. It was called - push them away and go do something stupid. So he did what he could - he blocked her from leaving and honestly, he could see it in her eyes that it was working. He kept his hand on her cheek, using his other hand to pull her closer to him until, of course, he heard her next words. Did he believe her words? No. To him, it seemed like she had internalized something that wasn’t her fault - and Quinn blaming her on stage probably didn’t help. “I’m not leaving you, Annie Williams.” he stated clearly.
He felt himself roll his eyes as she added that she didn’t need him or anyone. “I never said you needed me, Annie, but I’m here. So let me be here for you.” he muttered. She was doing exactly what he did… and it was a tough pill to swallow being on the other side of this. Honestly, Ricky had always been the one doing the pushing so this… was weird and honestly, part of him was scared he was falling into the same fcking traps he had fallen into with Lenora and VC: one in which his heart was far too fcking entangled.
A sigh left his lips with her next question - her eyes challenging him to give her a reason, any reason to keep him around - and to that end, he just found himself bringing his lips to her ears. “Annie, different is overrated. I’m a piece of sht, I always have been. I’ll admit that I’m a fck up in every fcking way possible. But, because of that, I understand what you’re going through. I know you want to leave this stupid fcking party, and forget the night existed and I can do that with you. So let me… do that with you. Because trust me, it’s worse doing it alone.”